Current understanding of historic climate oscillations that have occurred over the past few million years has modified scientific views on evolution. Major climatic events have caused local and global extinction of plants and animals and have impacted the spatial distribution of many species. The endangered golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) currently inhabits three isolated regions of China: the Sichuan and Gansu provinces (SG), the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province (QL), and the Shennongjia Forestry District in Hubei province (SNJ). However, considerable uncertainty still exists about their historical dispersal routes under the influence of environment change. To date, two dispersal routes have been proposed: (1) the QL and SNJ populations originated from the SG population; and (2) the SG population recolonized from the QL and SNJ populations. We used the mitochondrial DNA complete control region to perform statistical assessments of the relative probability of alternative migration scenarios and the role of environmental change on the geographic dispersal of Rhinopithecus roxellana. Thirty haplotypes were identified from the three geographic regions and a high degree of genetic structure was observed. The most recent common ancestor among the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes was estimated to live around 0.47-1.88 million years ago and five notable haplotype clusters were found. Phylogenetic analysis and historical gene flow estimates suggested that the QL and SNJ populations originated from the SG population, with at least two dispersal events from the SG population occurring during the Pleistocene (1.17±0.70 and 0.53±0.30 Ma). Composite dispersal history of the golden snub-nosed monkey can be explained by both environmental change inducing global climate change and the influence of the Tibetan Plateau uplift. Such range shifts involved considerable demographic changes, as revealed in the dramatic decreases in population size during the last 25,000 years.

BackgroundSmall, isolated populations often experience loss of genetic variation due to random genetic drift. Unlike neutral or nearly neutral markers (such as mitochondrial genes or microsatellites), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in these populations may retain high levels of polymorphism due to balancing selection. The relative roles of balancing selection and genetic drift in either small isolated or bottlenecked populations remain controversial. In this study, we examined the mechanisms maintaining polymorphisms of MHC genes in small isolated populations of the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) by comparing genetic variation found in MHC and microsatellite loci. There are few studies of this kind conducted on highly endangered primate species.ResultsTwo MHC genes were sequenced and sixteen microsatellite loci were genotyped from samples representing three isolated populations. We isolated nine DQA1 alleles and sixteen DQB1 alleles and validated expression of the alleles. Lowest genetic variation for both MHC and microsatellites was found in the Shennongjia (SNJ) population. Historical balancing selection was revealed at both the DQA1 and DQB1 loci, as revealed by excess non-synonymous substitutions at antigen binding sites (ABS) and maximum-likelihood-based random-site models. Patterns of microsatellite variation revealed population structure. FST outlier analysis showed that population differentiation at the two MHC loci was similar to the microsatellite loci.ConclusionsMHC genes and microsatellite loci showed the same allelic richness pattern with the lowest genetic variation occurring in SNJ, suggesting that genetic drift played a prominent role in these isolated populations. As MHC genes are subject to selective pressures, the maintenance of genetic variation is of particular interest in small, long-isolated populations. The results of this study may contribute to captive breeding and translocation programs for endangered species.

Genetic variation is generally believed to be important in studying endangered species' adaptive potential. Early studies assessed genetic diversity using nearly neutral markers, such as microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which are very informative for phylogenetic and phylogeographic reconstructions. However, the variation at these loci cannot provide direct information on selective processes involving the interaction of individuals with their environment, or on the capability to resist continuously evolving pathogens and parasites. The importance of genetic diversity at informative adaptive markers, such as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, is increasingly being realized, especially in endangered, isolated species. Small population size and isolation make the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) particularly susceptible to genetic variation losses through inbreeding and restricted gene flow. In this study, we compared the genetic variation and population structure of microsatellites, mtDNA, and the most relevant adaptive region of the MHC II-DRB genes in the golden snub-nosed monkey. We examined three Chinese R. roxellana populations and found the same variation patterns in all gene regions, with the population from Shennongjia population, Hubei Province, showing the lowest polymorphism among three populations. Genetic drift that outweighed balancing selection and the founder effect in these populations may explain the similar genetic variation pattern found in these neutral and adaptive genes.

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Global biodiversity is in crisis as a result of human activity. This biodiversity crisis has been well documented by scientists, recognized by world leaders, politicians, businesses, and citizens. Both the biodiversity and climate crises need to be addressed now. 2020 was when this change was supposed to start, with the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) meeting in Kunming, and the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Glasgow, but both meetings were postponed. COP26 was held a year late (November 2021), while COP15 was split into two, with the first part held in Kunming in October 2021, and the second part scheduled for Montreal in December 2022. This meeting in Montreal – arguably the most important in the CBDs history – must agree on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), to reverse biodiversity loss. Failure to reach agreement in Montreal would ultimately be a failure of us all, with irreversible consequences for life on earth. Yet, with three months before the final deadline only 20% of text and two targets are agreed. This paper reviews the factors hindering progress on the agreement and suggests possible solutions.

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Information about natural history collections helps to map the complex landscape of research resources and assists researchers in locating and contacting the holders of specimens. Collection records contribute to the development of a fully interlinked biodiversity knowledge graph (Page 2016), showcasing the existence and importance of museums and herbaria and supplying context to available data on specimens. These records also potentially open new avenues for fresh use of these collections and for accelerating their full availability online. A number of international (e.g., Index Herbariorum, GRSciColl) regional (e.g. DiSSCo and CETAF) national (e.g., ALA and the Living Atlases, iDigBio US Collections Catalog) and institutional networks (e.g., The Field Museum) separately document subsets of the world's collections, and the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Collection Descriptions Interest Group is actively developing standards to support information sharing on collections. However, these efforts do not yet combine to deliver a comprehensive and connected view of all collections globally. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) received funding as part of the European Commission-funded SYNTHESYS+ 7 project to explore development of a roadmap towards delivering such a view, in part as a contribution towards the establishment of DiSSCo services within a global ecosystem of collection catalogues. Between 17 and 29 April 2020, a coordination team comprising international representatives from multiple networks ran Advancing the Catalogue of the World’s Natural History Collections, a fully online consultation using the GBIF Discourse forum platform to guide discussion around 26 consultation topics identified in an initial Ideas Paper (Hobern et al. 2020). Discussions included support for contributions in Spanish, Chinese and French and were summarised daily throughout the consultation. The consultation confirmed broad agreement around the needs and goals for a comprehensive catalogue of the world’s natural history collections, along with possible strategies to overcome the challenges. This presentation will summarise the results and recommendations.

Background & Aims: The post-2020 global biodiversity framework (the "Framework") being prepared by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will be negotiated and adopted at the second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP15). The Framework is a landmark and plays an important guiding role for future global biodiversity conservation, economic and social development. Due to the continuous loss of biodiversity, the vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050 can only be fulfilled through transformative actions. In this paper, we describe the progress of the negotiations of the 22 action-oriented targets in drafting the Framework as at the fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (hereinafter referred to as "OEWG"), so as to provide a perspective and methodological reference for management departments, scientific research institutions, enterprises,•保护与治理对策•